The dairy industry has registered a consistent growth in terms of the milk received at the processing plants by increasing from 270 -540 million litres in 2004 -2011 respectively.
Speaking during a regional launch of the National Dairy master in Nyeri on Tuesday, Central provincial commissioner Japhter Rugut said export of milk and millk products have also increased from a low KES 200 million to KES 1 billion of the same time, adding this is expected to continue in the coming years.
However he noted that the production situation in Central Kenya region is unique in that the milk is produced by small scale farmers who own two to three cows per farm where they face milk quantity fluctuations and quality related challenges.
The P.C further said that the average production per cow in the region stood at seven litres daily while the production potential could go up to 15 litres a day.
Rugut observed that to enable Kenya’s dairy products compete on the international market there was need to demonstrate that the milk products are produced and produced and processed under controls and procedures that would provide confidence to customers.
He said the dairy sub-sector has the potential to improve the livelihoods of the majority smallholder farmers, pastoral communities, minimize seasonal fluctuations and transformation from subsistence farming to competitive commercial marketing.
The provincial administrator said that dairy productivity in Kenya is constrained by factors such as inadequate technology in animal feeding and breeding in addition to disease and climate change.
